Watch Former Jets Star Reveal What Jay-Z Told Him About Playing in New York

Now a star with another team, this former New York Jets quarterback talked about his time in the Big Apple recently.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) scrambles against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

At one time it looked like Geno Smith might not only be a New York Jets draft bust, but an NFL draft bust.

But, in Seattle, he’s resurrected his career and fashioned himself into a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seahawks, where he also earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022.

Recently, on “Up And Adams,” hosted by Kay Adams, she asked him to reflect on his time in New York.

Smith was supposed to be a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. But he slid into the second round, where the Jets pounced with the No. 39 overall pick. He became a starter after Mark Sanchez was hurt and threw for 3,046 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.

It was his best season with the Jets. In 2014 he started 13 games and the Jets only won three of those starts. In 2014 he suffered a fractured jaw in a fight with a teammate and only played in one game after losing the job to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Hey Geno Smith - what was the biggest thing working against you as a Jet?@UpAndAdamsShow #nyjets pic.twitter.com/fY5nWOU81K

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) October 24, 2024

In 2016 he tore his ACL the week after getting the starting job back.

He was asked what the biggest thing working against him during his time in New York. The 34-year-old said some of those struggles were on him.

“I would say that I had some self-inflicted wounds,” he said. “I had some things that I needed to mature a little bit when I was there. I'll own that.”

He said that there were a “lot of positives” he took away from his time with the Jets, even though it didn’t end the way he hoped.

Smith remained in New York for another year, signing with the Giants for the 2017 season. While in New York, he got used to being in the bubble of the largest sports market in the U.S. He also got some sage words from one of the world’s biggest musical acts, one that knows New York well.

“I remember Jay-Z told me this, ‘It's not you particularly — it’s the position you're in. So don't take it personally. They don't hate you, it's just you're the quarterback, you know, so you're gonna receive the backlash when you don't win,’” Smith said the star told him. “So that kind of helped me put things in perspective.”

That perspective helped him as he went to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 and then the Seahawks, where his career finally got on track.

“New York man — it's the Big Apple,” Smith said. “You know all you got to do is succeed — if you can make it there you can make it anywhere, that's what they say.”